He added that Baghdad will pay GE in instalments over three years, starting in 2017, because the Ministry’s 2016 budget was cut by more than half to 1.185 trillion Iraqi dinars ($1 billion).

GE must finish procurement and servicing for the power plants by the beginning of July; peak electricity demand during the summer is about 21,000 MW, far exceeding the 13,000 MW that the grid is currently providing.